Athletics Hall of Fame

Constitution of the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame, 2018

Article I: Name of Organization

The name of this organization shall be “The Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame” hereinafter “Hall of Fame”. The Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Alumni Society in memory of Neil Cohalan, Class of ’28.

Article II: Purpose

The primary purpose of the Hall of Fame shall be to honor those alumni(ae) hereinafter “alumni” and friends of Manhattan College who have contributed in a significant way to the College through the field of athletics.

Article III: Administration

Section 1: Membership of the Hall of Fame Committee

The Hall of Fame shall be administered by a Committee of, at most, thirty-three (33) persons, comprised as follows:

1. Two ex-officio members, including the Alumni Society appointed Chairperson and the Alumni Society President;
2. Twenty-one (21) alumni members chosen by the Alumni Society Board. Every effort shall be made to choose alumni representatives with complementary athletic interests reflective of the full gamut of men’s and women’s sports teams representing the College;
3. Two (2) members of the Athletic Department of the College, including the College’s Athletic Director and his or her designee;
4. One (1) representative of the student body of the College, preferably the student athletics advisory council representative;
5. The Athletics Communication Director and one (1) member of the sports media to be chosen by the Athletic Director;
6. One (1) member of the faculty of the College to be selected by the Provost of the College;
7. Two (2) members of the administration of the College to be chosen by the President of the College or a designee of the President;
8. Two (2) members to be appointed by the Alumni Society Board as Committee Officers.

The 21 alumni members of the Committee shall be appointed for three (3) year terms and may be reappointed to additional three (3) year terms. The 21 alumni member terms will be staggered so that seven alumni member terms will expire each year.

Alumni members who are absent from Hall of Fame meetings for two (2) consecutive years will be replaced by new members chosen by the Alumni Society Board.

The Hall of Fame Committee is a standing committee of the Alumni Society Board. Therefore, in addition to the categories of membership outlined above, the President of the Alumni Society serves as an ex officio member of the Hall of Fame Committee pursuant to Article II, Section 3(a) of the by-laws of the Alumni Society.

Section 2: Officers and Duties

The officers of the Hall of Fame Committee shall be a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson. The officers, together with the Alumni Society President, shall constitute the Executive Committee. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings. The Vice Chairperson shall assume the duties of the Chairperson if he or she cannot fulfill them. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall tabulate and record all votes.

Section 3: Term of Office

Officers shall be elected at the last meeting of the Manhattan College academic year for two (2) year terms and shall serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified. They shall take office on January 1 following the election. Officers may not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Section 4: Nomination of Officers

Nominations of officers shall be made by a nominating committee appointed by the Chairperson. The committee will nominate at least one (1) person for each office. Such nominations are subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Society Board. The committee shall notify the members of the Hall of Fame Committee of their nominations at least thirty (30) days prior to the election. Other nominations may be made by petition of any ten (10) members of the Hall of Fame Committee and submitted to the nominating committee at least ten (10) days prior to the election.

Section 5: Meetings

Meetings shall be conducted pursuant to Robert’s Rules of Order. The Hall of Fame Committee shall meet once during the academic year. Special meetings may be called at any time by a member of the Executive Committee or at the written request, submitted to the Chairperson, of ten (10) members of the Hall of Fame Committee.

Section 6: Quorum

Those present shall constitute a quorum providing that either the Chairperson or the Vice Chairperson is present and providing that written notice of the meeting is sent to Committee members at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.

Section 7: Voting

Except as provided in Article IV, Section 4 dealing with the selection of inductees, each member of the Hall of Fame Committee shall be entitled to one vote in all matters brought before the Committee and may vote by written proxy.

Section 8: Committees

The Chairperson may appoint committees as necessary to assist in the administration and operation of the Hall of Fame.

Section 9: Other

On any administrative issue on which this constitution is silent, the constitution and by-laws of the Alumni Society Board shall govern.

Article IV: Selection of Inductees

Section 1: Eligibility Guidelines

Membership in the Hall of Fame is gained through election by the Hall of Fame Committee and is open to individuals who fall under one or more of the following non-exclusive categories:

1. An alumnus or alumna, hereinafter “alumnus,” who as an academically qualified student completed their respective intercollegiate athletic career by participating in the College’s athletic program and whose class received a degree at least ten (10) or more years prior to his or her candidacy.
2. Athletic directors, coaches and athletic staff, preferably those with at least five (5) and ideally ten (10) or more years of service to the College.
3. Friends and alumni of the College who have regularly enhanced interest in, and the success of, Manhattan College athletics as reflected by their career body of work.

Membership may be awarded posthumously.

Section 2: Nominations

The Committee may receive nominations from any source. A written biographical profile, prepared on a standardized form supplied by the Committee for this purpose, outlining the person’s qualifications and contributions to the College’s athletic heritage must be submitted to the Committee on or before a due date specified by the Chairperson. Only nominations prepared in the standardized format as prescribed by the Executive Committee shall be accepted.

Nominations should be mailed to the attention of the Manhattan College Hall of Fame Committee, c/o Director of Alumni Relations, Memorial Hall, Room 100, Manhattan College, Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY 10471. Any nominations received after the specified due date will not be considered until the following year.

The Chairperson shall review each biography for completeness and may reject any nomination that he or she determines, in his or her sole discretion, to lack sufficient information or documentation to enable the Committee to make an informed and objective judgment with respect to that nominee’s proposed induction into the Hall of Fame.

The Chairperson shall send the list of nominees to the President of the Alumni Society and the President of the College.

Section 3: Meeting Preparation

Prior to the evaluation and selection, copies of all biographies and supporting material received by the specified due date shall be distributed to the Committee members by the Chairperson. New material with respect to any nominee may be submitted or distributed at the meeting with the permission of the Chairperson.

All nominations and supporting material shall be thoroughly reviewed by the members of the Committee before the selection meeting. Committee members must be present in order to be eligible to vote.

Section 4: Meeting and Selection of Inductees

Each nominee’s biography will be personally presented at the meeting by the person who submitted the nomination or a designee. Other individuals may make supporting statements within the predetermined time allotted for presentations.

At the conclusion of presentations, the inductees shall be selected. The selection will be made based on a vote of all members in good standing. Members may not vote by written proxy.

The number of persons to be inducted shall not exceed 50% of the nominees, and in no case shall the number inducted exceed eight (8).

If there are more than 20 nominees, the selection of inductees will be a two (2) step process. First, a maximum of sixteen (16) finalists will be selected. These sixteen (16) finalists will consist of the carry-over candidates, if any, and thirteen (13) to sixteen (16) of the current nominees. The election will be made based on a vote of all members in good standing. Each member will vote for the number of nominees to be inducted. A member may not vote for fewer than the number of nominees to be inducted. The Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson will tally the votes and the nominees with the highest vote totals will join the carry-over candidates, if any, as the finalists.

In the case of a tie for a finalist position, an additional ballot shall be cast by the members in good standing. Each member will vote for, at most, one (1) of the nominees who are tied for the finalist position. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will tally the votes and the nominee with the highest vote total will be the finalist.

Next, the inductees will be selected. The selection will be made based on a vote of all members in good standing. Each member will vote for the number of persons to be inducted. A member may not vote for fewer than the number of persons to be inducted. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will tally the votes and the finalists with the highest vote totals will be the inductees. The three (3) finalists with the next highest point totals will be carried over as finalists to the following year.

In the case of a tie for an inductee or carry-over position, an additional ballot shall be cast by the members in good standing. Each member will vote for, at most, one (1) of the finalists who are tied for the inductee or carry-over position. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will tally the votes and the finalist with the highest vote total will be the inductee or carry-over finalist, as the case may be.

Section 5: Carry-Over Limitation

No finalist shall be carried over to the following year more than two (2) successive times. After being carried over two (2) successive times, that finalist will return to the normal selection process.

Article V: Special Hall of Fame Awards

Section 1: Eligibility

Special Hall of Fame Awards shall be awarded to teams or groups whose efforts or achievements contributed in a significant way to the College’s athletic tradition.

Section 2: Nominations

A standing subcommittee of three (3) to five (5) members of the Hall of Fame Committee and appointed by the Chairperson shall research and recommend to the Committee teams and groups for Special Hall of Fame Awards. The subcommittee may receive nominations from any source.

Section 3: Voting

The recipients of Special Hall of Fame Awards shall be selected at the annual meeting of the Committee. The selection will be made based on a vote of all members in good standing. Members may not vote by written proxy. Each member will vote either yea or nay for each team or group recommended by the Special Hall of Fame Awards subcommittee. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will tally the votes and any team or group receiving a two-thirds vote shall be a recipient of a Special Hall of Fame Award. No more than two teams or groups may be selected each year. A team or group receiving less than a two-thirds vote shall not be carried over to the following year but may be recommended for a Special Hall of Fame Award in the following year or any subsequent year by the Special Hall of Fame Awards subcommittee pursuant to Section 2 of this Article V.

Special Hall of Fame Awards for Those Whose Class Graduated Prior to 1930

Section 1: Eligibility Guidelines

Special Hall of Fame Awards for those individuals whose class graduated prior to 1930 is open to individuals who meet the requirements set forth in Section 1 of Article IV.

Section 2: Nominations

A standing subcommittee of three (3) to five (5) members of the Hall of Fame Committee and appointed by the Chairperson shall research and recommend to the Committee eligible individuals whose class has graduated prior to 1930 to receive a Special Hall of Fame Award. The subcommittee may receive nominations from any source.

Section 3: Voting

The recipients shall be selected at the annual meeting of the Committee. The selection will be made based on a vote of all members in good standing. Members may not vote by proxy. Each member shall vote either yea or nay for each nominee. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will tally the votes and any nominee receiving a two-thirds vote shall be awarded a Special Hall of Fame Award. No more than two nominees may be selected each year. No nominees shall be carried over to the following year but may be considered by the subcommittee in any subsequent year.

Article VI: Induction and Awards

Section 1: Induction

Induction of members into the Hall of Fame shall take place annually at a time and place specified by the Hall of Fame Committee and approved by the College Administration.

Section 2: Awards

Each inductee shall be enrolled into the Hall of Fame and their name shall be placed on permanent public display at the College, and an appropriate award shall be presented at the time of induction.

Special Hall of Fame Awards shall be presented at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony. The name of each team or group receiving a Special Hall of Fame Award shall be placed on permanent public display at the College, and an appropriate award shall be presented at the annual Hall of Fame ceremony.

Article VII: Amendments

This constitution may be amended by the Alumni Society Board or by a two-thirds vote of the members in good standing at a regularly scheduled or special meeting of the Hall of Fame Committee. No amendment will become effective until ratified by the Alumni Society Board.

Ratified by the Alumni Society Board